Sneak (Skill)
The Sneak skill is used to avoid being seen or heard, and to hide objects in the surrounding scenery. Unlike Blend (which is a passive skill requiring no time to use), Sneak offers more control at the expense of a time investment. Sneak’s primary check is a full action, but pays off with all the benefits of active skill use. This skill is common to assassins, who practice a variety of techniques for lingering just out of sight until they can bring their lethal talents into play. It is also common among Special Forces troops, whose strategic attacks are legendarily silent. Special Note: Unless you spend 1 full action actively using this skill’s Hide check, you must 'use the Blend/Stealth check when determining whether someone or something detects you. '''Sample Knowledge: '''The best hiding places in any given location; common methods someone might use to remain unnoticed in an area; how to light an area to create optical illusions useful for hiding. Hide Hide represents your ability to consciously lurk in and out of a crowd. In any 30-ft. × 30-ft. area occupied by fewer than 10 people, your key attribute with this check is Dexterity; in a more populated area, it’s Charisma. If an observer actively seeks something in your area (whether it’s you or not), your Hide result opposes his Search/Perception result; otherwise, your Hide result opposes his Notice/Awareness result. Your result cap and error range — as well as those of the observer — are modified as shown on Table 2.25: Character Detection. If your Hide result exceeds the observer’s check result, you escape detection, gaining the hidden condition against him. If your Hide result fails to exceed the observer’s check result, the observer becomes aware of your presence (and any hidden condition is lost). If you’re located within his visual or hearing range, as appropriate, he also learns your location. Further, the observer may spend 1 free action communicating your location, after which you lose the hidden condition against the people whom he tipped off. The Hide skill check may be used to escape detection even if someone knows where you are, though only if there’s an opportunity to duck away when they look in another direction, speak to another character, or otherwise become distracted (e.g. with the Diversion action). Since making a Hide check is a full action, you may not take additional actions. However, as part of any Hide check, you may also move a number of feet up to your Speed (though doing so may make you easier to detect, as shown on Table 2.25). When you’re moving, you must make a Hide check once per round. When you’re stationary (i.e. you don’t leave your current square), your first successful Hide check allows you to avoid detection for 1 minute, and each subsequently successful Hide check allows you to avoid detection for twice as long as the last one. Example: Kevin remains still beneath a staircase in a mastermind’s lair, waiting for the new guard shift to start. He escapes detection for 1 minute with his first successful Hide check, for 2 minutes with his second, for 4 minutes with his third, for 8 minutes with his fourth, and so on. ''Finding Multiple People: ''If more than one character is hidden in one 30-ft. × 30-ft. area, the same Notice/Awareness or Search/Perception result is compared against each Hide result in turn, from lowest to highest (i.e. the observer finds the item with the lowest Hide result first). '''Cooperative: No. Retry: 'No. '''Threat: '''You gain a keen sense of your surroundings. When making a Stealth or Hide check, your result cap increases by 5 and your error range decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene, until you move more than 30 ft. away from the position where you scored your threat, or until you fail a Stealth or Hide check (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''You’re a ghost. When moving, you keep your current Hide result for 1 minute per action die spent (maximum 4 minutes per critical success); when stationary, you keep it for 1 hour per action die spent (maximum 4 hours per critical success). '''Error: '''A fumble attracts attention to your vicinity. You suffer a –4 penalty with Stealth and Hide checks, and your error ranges with these checks are increased by 1, until the end of the current scene, or until you succeed with a Stealth or Hide check (whichever comes first). '''Critical Failure: '''Everyone with line of sight to you, or within hearing range of you, automatically learns your location. You may not attempt another Stealth or Hide check until you move out of each of these characters’ lines of sight and hearing ranges, or until the end of the current scene, whichever comes first. Stash Item This skill check is used to conceal a vehicle or item within the local scenery. This is only possible in an area with scenery larger than the vehicle or item to be concealed. If an observer actively seeks something in the square concealing the item (whether he’s looking for the item or not), your Stash Item result opposes the observer’s Search/Perception result; otherwise, your Stash Item result opposes his Notice/Awareness result. Your check result and error range — as well as those of the observer — are modified as shown on Table 2.43: Action/Item Detection. If your Stash Item result exceeds the observer’s check result, the item escapes detection, gaining the ''hidden condition against him; otherwise, the observer spots it (and any hidden condition is lost). Finding Multiple Items: If more than one item is concealed in one 30-ft. × 30-ft. area, the same Notice/Awareness or Search/Perception result is compared against each Stash Item result in turn, from lowest to highest (i.e. the observer finds the item with the lowest Stash Item result first). Retrieving a Stashed Item: Once an item is stashed, a character must spend 1 full action to retrieve it. '''Cooperative: No. '''Retry: '''No. '''Threat: '''You gain a feel for the location. When making a Stash Item check in the same 30-ft. × 30-ft. area, your base error range decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene, or until you fail a Stash Item check targeting the same 30-ft. × 30-ft. area (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''You find the perfect hiding place in no time. Your Stash Item check requires only 1 free action. '''Error: '''The attempt to hide the item fails with a result of 0. '''Critical Failure: '''You can’t seem to find a place to hide the object. You cannot make another Stash Item check to conceal an object in the scenery until you move at least 30 ft. from your current position, or until the end of the current scene (whichever comes first). Category:Skill Rules Category:Skill Checks